Ag, Dairy, and Science at Thirkill

One of the most popular days on the second grade calendar for Thirkill Elementary in Soda Springs took place last week, as Cheryl Harris and Lilah Smith’s excited students learned about how dairy farms operate, how milk and milk products are produced, the science of cheese making, and how many cow jokes Principal Rod Worthington could make during the day.  Spoiler alert—a whole feedlot of them, perhaps more than you’ve ever herd.

Mrs. Harris has worked with the Farm Bureau in the past, and as a result has been able to corral the Bureau’s demonstration milk cow into the school for the past ten or so years.  The cow was modified from its original size to be able to fit through the school doors, but is still an imposing simulacrum of a dairy cow, complete with a functional udder that dispenses water into a milking bucket below.  According to information presented by the second grade teachers, it takes approximately 345 squirts to produce a gallon of milk.  Further, it takes about 10 pounds of milk to make a pound of cheese, 21 pounds of milk to make a pound of butter, and 12 pounds of milk to make a single gallon of ice cream.

While states like Wisconsin and Vermont might get more glory in the dairy world, the fact is that Idaho is fourth in the country as far as milk production, and an astonishing third in cheese production.    

Many of the students had experience with farms and farm work directly, but even those who did not were eager to learn and talk about what goes on in a dairy farm.  Mrs. Harris presented a slide show exploring the daily routines of dairy farmers, from feeding and care through the milking and packaging portions of the process.

Mrs. Smith’s class hosted the cow, and gave students a chance to practice their milking skills while they learned about some of the science involved in turning milk into butter and cheese.  Students were treated to a taste test of both Swiss and Cheddar cheeses, and preferred the orange stuff by a mile, commenting in one case that the swiss was “just too cheesy.”

The combined classes were then introduced to both an old-fashioned and modern butter churn, and given the chance to create their own butter by shaking jars of cream until they achieved the right consistency.    

Volunteers helped keep the day running smoothly, and everyone had a “moo-ving” time, according to Principal Worthington, who might still be milking those jokes.